Happy New Year! What an exciting time for ATD Maryland. I’m absolutely thrilled that I have an opportunity to serve you as President in 2018. I love and believe Marian Wright’s words: “service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.” I’m happy to be working together with a talented group of chapter leaders this year to serve the needs of the talent development community here in Maryland. Lori, Matt, Dora, Bill, and Robert thank you in advance for your time and hard work. I would also like to welcome our new National Advisor (NAC), Lisa Goodpaster, and to thank her in advance for assistance with national related items.

Our primary goal for 2018 is to Engage, Enlighten and Empower. We plan to accomplish this by achieving the following:

·Increase young adult involvement with the chapter through student internships.

·Strengthen our community partnerships with other professional and government organizations such as local colleges, universities, city municipalities, SHRM, and L-Ten.

Many of these goals are already underway, and I’m confident that 2018 is going to be an exciting year for ATD Maryland. Achieving these goals will take a team effort. I challenge each of you to think of a way that your talents could help support the ATD community this year. I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions! You can contact me either through email or in-person at our upcoming kickoff event on January 11th.